Converts crack the code

Jason Robinson's elevation to England captain signals the culmination of a rugby revolution that started eight years ago as a desperate attempt to save money. In 1996, Wigan decided to off-load some of their highest earning league players to rugby union clubs to cut a spiralling wage bill, sending Robinson and Henry Paul to Bath, Gary Connolly to Harlequins and Inga Tuigamala to London Wasps.

Only Tuigamala looked the part and soon the other three were heading back to Wigan and the security of a league game that suited their talents. Now that has all changed.

England face Canada at Twickenham on Saturday with key coaching and playing positions held by men whose first allegiance was to league, but opted to cross the great divide for good.

Besides boasting Robinson as captain, England have former New Zealand league star Paul in the crucial inside-centre role, ex-Great Britain coach Phil Larder is in charge of the team's defence and Joe Lydon, the former Great Britain player, is the attacking coach.

That is a dream line-up for any Super League team in the 13-man code, but this quartet are now committed to helping England live up to their position as the Rugby World Cup champions in the union game.

For a century the two codes of rugby were at war and this only started to change in 1995 when union suddenly opted to become professional. You could no longer be thrown out for dabbling in league and when Sir Clive Woodward took over as England coach in 1997, he targetedmen like Robinson as potential recruits.

Robinson joined Sale at the end of 2000 and Paul moved to Gloucester the following year, with the Rugby Football Union picking up half of the reported £250,000-a-year salary.

However, Paul failed to make the same impact as the former Wigan wing, who became a try-scoring sensation on the Lions tour to Australia in 2001. Robinson's vital try in the World Cup Final against Australia last year highlighted how far ahead he was of Paul.

Paul has shown tremendous fortitude in recent years, putting to one side the enormous disappointment of constantly being omitted from squads by Woodward, who only used him as a replacement in three Test matches. Now, Paul is starting at centrefor England for the first time and has the responsibility of filling the void left by Will Greenwood, of Harlequins.

Like Robinson, Greenwood missed the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia to recharge his batteries after the World Cup campaign but has failed to recapture his true form. That has allowed Paul the opportunity to finally win over the doubters who expected him to head back to league like Iestyn Harris, the ex-Wales centre, who has gone back to Bradford Bulls.

At least Paul can take heart from the presence of Larder and Lydon in the England management. Larder's defensive expertise was developed in league and he successfully transferred that knowledge to help England win the World Cup. He knows how Paul likes to defend and will incorporate those skills in the England midfield against Canada.

Getting Paul to produce the passes and foot work to unlock the Canadian defence is down to Lydon, who only came into the England set-up on a fulltime basis in the summer. That was a chastening experience - two defeats by the All Blacks and a 50-point beating by the Wallabies - but Lydon has now had more time to work with the players and impart the knowledge he is convinced will produce tries on a regular basis.

Only Australia have been able to raid league with the same appetite as England and the Wallabies boast Lote Tuqiri, Mat Rogers and Wendell Sailor in their tour party which arrives at Twickenham in three weeks' time. The meeting of so many league players and coaches only adds to what will be a fascinating battle between the World Cup finalists almost exactly a year after they met in Sydney.

England's league men triumphed on that occasion and it will be up to Robinson, Paul, Larder and Lydon to make sure it happens again - after they have dealt with Canada and South Africa.